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A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has urged the administration of Donald Trump to stop delaying hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance allocated for Ukraine and America’s Eastern European allies.
According to Associated Press, lawmakers sent a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding the release of $600 million in congressionally approved funding, including $400 million intended for Ukraine and another $200 million for defense programs in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, UATV English reports.
The letter was signed by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican Senators Kevin Cramer and Thom Tillis, as well as Democratic Senators Michael Bennet and Catherine Cortez Masto.
“Ukraine has fought hard and courageously to repel Russia’s four-year assault, but its armed forces need and deserve continued American support,” Durbin and Grassley said in the joint letter.
Tensions between Congress and the Trump administration have intensified in recent weeks as lawmakers from both parties seek clarification over the delayed assistance package, which had been approved by Congress last year.
During congressional hearings earlier this month, Hegseth told lawmakers that the funding had been “allocated” and promised that the Pentagon would soon submit a spending plan. Senators now say the Defense Department missed the May 15 deadline for providing that plan.
“Any further delays — especially as the department is reportedly considering reducing the American military presence in the region — undermine our ability to adequately deter Russia,” the senators warned.
At the same time, a separate initiative in the House of Representatives backed by Democrats seeks to introduce sweeping sanctions against Russia and provide an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine. While the measure is unlikely to become law, Associated Press noted that it reflects renewed efforts among U.S. lawmakers to maintain support for Ukraine’s defense.
The report added that although the $400 million package is relatively small compared to the multibillion-dollar aid packages approved earlier in the war, law
